The Leprechaun
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Jed makes a friend on the way home one day and convinces a pregnant Abbey to keep him. Bartlet History 10.


Author's Note: I wanted to write something cute for my Bartlets, and I got the inspiration for this. Short and sweet. Enjoy!

 **The Leprechaun**

It was early December in London, and it was pouring rain. Jed liked to walk to and from school whenever he could, but these storms were making it difficult. Still, a little water never hurt anyone.

Today, it was particularly difficult to carry his umbrella. Abbey had been very moody lately and craving pretzels. There was only one store anywhere close to them that sold American-style pretzels, which, as Abbey insisted, were very different than the English brands. So, being a good husband caring for his pregnant wife, Jed stopped by the shop that was a few blocks out of his way to pick up a few bags of pretzels. With the grocery bag in one arm, his school bag over his shoulder and the umbrella in his hand, it was a bit of a struggle to shield himself—and the paper bag—from getting soaked in the windy storm. At one point, he nearly got hit by cab when the umbrella blew in front of his face.

A block away from their building, Jed was finally given some reprieve from the storm from some scaffolding. It was dripping, but at least it was a slight escape from the rain. He paused for a moment to readjust everything he was carrying. The paper bag was halfway to being soggy pulp, but Jed was sure it would last another few minutes.

All of a sudden, there was a muffled screeching sound, some scratching, and something landed on Jed's face. It was wet and muddy and squirming. Jed dropped everything he was carrying in surprise to catch whatever it was.

A small meow let him know that it was a cat. "Hey there," Jed said to it, adjusting the feline in his arms. The poor thing was dripping muddy water off its gray fur. It looked at Jed with piercing green eyes before nuzzling into his neck. Clearly this cat was very friendly and in need of some care. "Do you need a home, buddy?" There was no collar to be found. And based on the state of this animal, it had been a while since it had a warm place to sleep and a proper meal in its stomach. Jed couldn't just leave it there in the rain.

Feeling like there was no other real option, Jed bundled the cat up in his jacket and reclaimed the rest of his items. The paper bag was almost completely gone, and he needed an extra hand to hold onto the cat, so he figured if he jogged, he wouldn't get too wet without his umbrella for the last block.

Abbey had been spending her day reading one of the three pregnancy books she had gotten from the library. The chapter she was on now detailed all the possible complications. Abbey Bartlet, soon-to-be mother, was utterly terrified by the descriptions. But Abbey Bartlet, future doctor, was fascinated. It was that kind of sick paradox that she loved about herself, so Abbey just kept reading intently.

The thumping in the hall and the scratch of a key in the door let her know that Jed was home. She put her bookmark on her page and put the book aside to greet her husband. The door opened, and it was not the scene she expected.

Jed was soaked. Completely drenched and dripping in their living room. "Hey, babe. I got you some pretzels!" He told her, handing her the sopping mess of a bag.

Abbey took what was left of the bag from him with a somewhat disgusted look on her face. "I appreciate that. But you really couldn't stay a little dryer?"

"I had an unexpected visitor on my journey," he said cryptically.

"Oh?" Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the bulge in his jacket.

Jed unbuttoned his coat and gingerly removed his new little friend. "It jumped on me out of the construction at the end of the lane."

Abbey looked at him incredulously. "What the hell are you doing with a cat?!"

"There's no collar and it's really friendly, and I think it needs a good home."

She frowned. "We cannot have a pet. You have no idea where that thing's been."

"So you want me to throw this poor, defenseless animal out on the street? It doesn't look that bad, just a little dirty and hungry."

"Based on those cuts on your face, it isn't so defenseless. But I see your point. We can clean it up and feed it, and when the rain clears, it's gone."

Jed grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me!" He scratched the cat behind the ears. "You hear that? We're gonna help you out."

"I'll run a warm bath," Abbey said with a sigh. She put the pretzels down in the kitchen and made her way to the bathroom. Jed deposited his things in his study—which was soon to be converted into a nursery—before following Abbey into the bathroom.

"Okay, come here, little guy," she said, taking the cat from Jed.

"Guy?"

"You couldn't tell it was a male?" she asked, one brow raised.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't lift his tail when he jumped on my face."

Abbey chuckled as she gently put the cat in the warm water. It was a bit of a fight with a lot of squirming and scratching, but Abbey was able to wash the layers of grime out of the cat's fur. He turned out to be pure white. By the time Jed was drying him off with a towel, he was gleaming like fresh powdery snow. His big green eyes looked at his new human friends with affection and gratitude.

"You know what he reminds me of?" Jed thought aloud.

"What?" Abbey replied as she drained the bathwater and began attending to the scratches on her arms.

"The Fighting Irish Leprechaun. The green on white, I guess."

Abbey turned to look. "Yeah, I can kinda see that." Suddenly, she grabbed her belly. "Oh!"

Jed's eyes went wide with panic. "What? What is it?"

She just looked at him with surprise, but her lips ticked upward into a small smile. "I think the baby just kicked. There it goes again! Feel!" Abbey grabbed her husband's hand and pressed it to the left side of her swollen abdomen. "Do you feel that?"

Jed's face broke into the most joyful grin Abbey had ever seen. "That's our baby," he said softly, feeling the tiny foot press against his palm.

Abbey's nose wrinkled as she smiled back at him. "Yeah, it is."

The baby stopped moving around after a moment and Jed moved his hand away. He looked down at the cat, still resting in a towel in the crook of his arm. "I think this guy might be lucky. Are you a lucky leprechaun?"

The cat let out a small chirp, making the Bartlets laugh. Abbey sighed. "I guess we can't give him up now. He's our lucky leprechaun!"

"That seems like a good name for him, since we're keeping him. Lucky Leprechaun."

Abbey smiled. "Welcome to your new home, Lucky." She gave the cat a little scratch and kissed his freshly clean nose. He purred in response.

Jed put Lucky down so he could explore his new home. Abbey went about tending to the scratches her husband had sustained. They discussed the materials they'd need to buy for their new pet and what they'd feed him in the meantime and how they could find a veterinarian to check him out.

Abbey couldn't help but think of how much her life had changed in the last year. A year earlier, she and Jed had been dating and making plans for Christmas break. In one year, they'd gotten engaged, graduated college, gotten married, and moved into a flat of their own in a foreign country where they had a baby on the way and now a cat. In a year, they had gone from college seniors to proper adults with the start of a proper family. And they couldn't be happier.


End file.
